You may not know the name Saar Klein, but you’ve undoubtedly seen his work. He’s the Oscar nominated editor behind Terrence Malick‘s “The Thin Red Line” and Cameron Crowe‘s “Almost Famous,” who has a notable filmography that also includes “The New World” and “The Bourne Identity.” However, he’s transitioning to the director’s chair, and his debut feature film “Things People Do” will be premiering at the Berlin Film Festival.
Starring Wes Bentley, Vinessa Shaw, Haley Bennett and Jason Isaacs, and executive produced by (among others) Doug Liman, the film tells the story of a man who turns to crime after losing his job, and falls in with a detective who no longer believes in the value of upholding the law. Here’s the full synopsis:
Things are worse for Scanlin than he admits. Unknown to his family, he has lost his job as an insurance broker because he wasn’t making it hard enough for clients to claim insurance compensation. The bank shows no understanding when he fails to keep up his mortgage payments and this brings him to the brink of financial ruin. Like so many Americans, he is under enormous financial pressure. Scanlin’s strictly moralistic world view crumbles and he begins to identify with the stray dog that slopes around his newly built home on the edge of the plains, eating rubbish and drinking from the pool. Propelled by his need to survive Scanlin turns to crime and before long he becomes a modern Robin Hood who carefully chooses his victims before giving them a lesson – and bringing home the bacon again at last. His new friend is a policeman who doesn’t exactly follow the law to the letter. A world of double standards soon reveals itself to Scanlin.
It’s an intriguing premise and approach to the current financial crisis it seems, and in this exclusive clip we see the family man and the detective making target practice out of what were once someone’s belongings.
After premiering in Berlin, “Things People Do” will hit the SXSW Film Festival. Watch below.